From the Fields of Ethiopia

28May

My Brethren in Christ,

We greet you in the most precious and sovereign name of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is a name above every name; whose mercies are new every morning, for which we give abundant thanksgiving and praise. May we be ever aware of His sweet presence, Amen.

Nancy and I left for Ethiopia on the 13th of May arriving here in Addis Ababa on the afternoon of the 16th. It was a joy to see the faces of our Brothers Fikre and Jemal which greeted us on our arrival. In many respects it was like coming back to visit and work with members of your family who have the same desire as the Father to perpetuate the gospel of the Kingdom of God and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The battle, since our arrival has been constant and without let up. There have been many confrontations and skirmishes that the devil has been working to hinder and to thwart the work for which God has sent us to do. My nights consist of battles against Forces of Darkness, as well as men that want to stop us from accomplishing that which God has put in our hands to do. Paul wrote in one of his epistles that he fought against the “beast of Ephesus.” It would seem that we also have to deal with that beast that is within as well as those beasts that are around us, as well as those that are being sent.

Shortly after we arrived, it was discovered that the water tank had run dry and that the community in which we are staying had been without water for four days. Many here have two or more of the 1000 to 2000 liter tanks with one of the tanks being elevated and the other on the ground; the ground tank is the tank that feeds the upper tank and it is the upper tank that feeds the house by gravitation. If in the event of the lack of water or electricity they can still have water to the house if they ration it out for a length of time. That is not the case in our living scenario. We have one tank that is a 2000 liter tank, I believe, and it sits on a very short stand and when it becomes emptied we find ourselves without water; that was a situation that persisted for another four days. It was only with the perseverance of prayer here and abroad and the seeking of God’s favor, binding the devil that on the morning of our fifth day we had water! There is an interesting note that I need to make here and that is as the water came into the tank abundantly, the electricity went out; you can get the water from the tank at the spigot on the bottom of the tank but you need the electricity to pump the water into the house.

There are several things that God has been speaking to me concerning it and I will share the one about the water first. If you look at our situation from a prophetic perspective, and I believe that you must, you can begin to understand the severity of the situation. Water as defined by the Bible has a dual purpose; on the one hand it is indicative of the Word of God and the sanctification and cleansing that it brings. If you view this from this perspective than you begin to see the need that these people have for the fountain of living waters to spring forth within their midst. The Word of God/Water also has a natural application; it is a substance that refreshes, supports, and nurtures your being as you clean with it and you cook with it. If this is true, and it is, then it is indicative of the need of physical, mental, and most importantly Spiritual strength that is needed in accomplishing that which has been given into your hand to do, both individually as well as collectively. It is not by chance that we have been sent by God in this time frame of what they call their rainy season. On the human/world side of the equation there is the need for them to have the living water and their severe lack of it is very evident. On the God side of it, He is showing His desire to pour out upon them that substance of water that brings resurrection life and liberty; liberty from the religious spirit that reigns without mercy over the minds, hearts and bodies of this people. This community, as does the work of God, depends on an outside source for its supply of water; if that outside source is damaged or deliberately cut off, then it hinders that work and the desire of God is hampered in its ability to fully accomplish that which God has ordained. I did not say that it was stopped or that it was in some way diverted, because there are things that one can do in the natural arena as well in the spiritual sense that will facilitate life/work of God to get done what must be done, for God will always honor His Word! It just slows down the process and makes it harder for those that are participating on the field of battle. So the water has both a spiritual application as well as a natural application

Electricity in the spirit is spiritual energy. Again each house is dependent on that electricity to supply the tank that feeds the house as well as the light. If that electricity is denied than it hampers the flow of the water that is necessary for the house to be fed what it needs to sustain and function as it is designed to do both in the aspect of water as well as light. One of the elements that is of interest to know is that the failure of water is more than likely accidental or carelessness on the part of people, for there is much construction going on in Addis from which the water flows, but the electricity here in our application, is not something that happens by accident or chance, it is that there are those who have the control of the switch; they just turn it off without consideration of the people they are depriving. It does not however deprive us of light, for we have candles/flashlights that we employ to facilitate the business of the house. [Mat 5:15, Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.] Again it does not stop the work of God, it just slows things down a bit and it makes the job a bit harder.

The meetings that we have been having have been excellent. The feedback that we are getting from those that have attended has been very good and quite positive. The anointing that is always necessary is quite evident and gives the evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ. We have had several new doors that have opened to us both within the Universities Undergraduate’s Fellowship, as well as the Ministry of Defense fellowship, that extended to us the opportunity to share with them the Gospel of the Kingdom and the coming of our King.

Barak and his daughter Johanna arrived here in Addis Ababa on the 25th of May and will be working with us in this ministry to Ethiopia. We will be traveling to Gonder on the 29th of May to spend an extended time of fellowship with the University fellowship there that we had the privileged to meet on our last visit. After returning to Addis, Nancy and I as well as Barak and Johanna will fly to Uganda for the weekend of the 10th for a weekend of meetings with the fellowship that has started in the home of our dear sister from our last visit there. We have felt the urgency in the Spirit to give particular attention to this fledgling group of saints that have gathered together to seek the face of God. On our return we will have a full schedule that includes the Salem Children’s Village as well as the local fellowships that have been established in the last two or three years.

As always your prayers and consideration of the circumstances of these missions is always appreciated. Without your help and support the work would be more difficult to accomplish. Thank you and may God bless you.